Safe Hazardous Waste Disposal for Businesses
Proper handling of hazardous waste is vital to the health of our community and our environment. At the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility, we take that responsibility seriously and provide affordable and safe hazardous waste disposal for Marin County. Novato businesses need to bring their hazardous materials to the Novato Sanitary District.
What is Hazardous Waste?
Hazardous waste is waste with properties that make it potentially dangerous or harmful to humans health or the environment. Hazardous waste can be liquids, solids, or contained gases.
The EPA uses the following characteristics to define hazardous waste:
- IGNITABILITY– Liquids or solids that are flammable or combustible
- CORROSIVITY – Highly reactive substances that cause rust, corrosion, and obvious damage to living tissue; acids and bases are common corrosive materials
- REACTIVITY – Substances that, when mixed, create toxic, unstable, or explosive reactions
- TOXICITY – Poisonous materials
Many of the common household products we use every day such as household cleaners, paint and batteries, are considered hazardous. If these products are handled or disposed of incorrectly, they can pose a threat to human health, animals and the environment.
In California, it is illegal to dispose of household hazardous waste in the trash, down the drain, or by abandonment and should instead be disposed of through a Household Hazardous Waste Program such as ours.
What kind of businesses do we serve?
Businesses that generate up to 27 gallons or 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month, or 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of extremely hazardous waste per month are welcome to drop off hazardous waste at the facility.
The most common businesses that generate hazardous waste are painters, printers, artists, builders, property managers, vehicle repair and body shops, landscape contractors and photofinishing shops.
How do you know something is considered hazardous?
We list the most common hazardous wastes on our Business: What We Accept page. You’ll also find a list of items that we will not accept here.
What You Need To Know Before You Go
Please follow these guidelines about what we accept and how to deliver it to us. We’ll do our best to make it easy and convenient for you.
CONFIRM THAT THE MATERIAL IS ACCEPTED AT OUR FACILITY
Visit our Business: What We Accept page to verify that the products you want to bring are accepted at our facility. Visit our Business: Not Accepted page for a list of the products will do not accept at our facility.
GET A HAZARDOUS WASTE ID NUMBER
You will need to obtain a Hazardous Waste ID number before you contact us to schedule an appointment. This number, issued by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (California ID Number), identifies each handler of hazardous waste on hazardous waste manifests and other paperwork. The ID Number enables regulators to track the waste from its origin to final disposal (“cradle to grave.”) For more information, visit the Hazardous Waste Generators page.
- If your business only generates hazardous wastes once or twice a year, you may want to apply for a Temporary Hazardous Waste Number.
- If your business generates hazardous wastes monthly, you need to apply for a Permanent Hazardous Waste Number. This process can take up to 15 business days to process but is necessary for businesses that need to regularly drop off hazardous wastes at our facility.
Ready to get your Number?
Visit the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) website to obtain your Hazardous Waste ID Number.
Please note: you do not need a Hazardous Waste ID Number to drop-off electronic waste, household batteries, fluorescent bulbs or latex paint at our facility.
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Business require an appointment to drop-off at our facility. Our facility is open for business customers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To make an appointment to drop off your material during those hours, please contact us at 415-456-2665 and leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, or use our contact form, and we will call you back within 24 hours (Monday through Friday).
Call to schedule your appointment at least one week in advance since it is challenging to accommodate same day appointments.
BE AWARE OF QUANTITY LIMITS
Be mindful of the quantities that you are bringing. Containers may not be larger than five (5) gallons or 50 pounds in weight.
DON’T MIX
For the safety of our workers and to ensure proper disposal, please avoid mixing materials, even if you think they are the same.
Regulations for Hazardous Waste Generators
The links below will help you to learn and understand about regulations that apply to hazardous waste generators in California:
Programs Or Business Offering Disposal Options
We are proud to partner with other programs or businesses that will accept medium and large quantities of car batteries, cooking oil, household batteries, latex paint and motor oil for a small fee (or sometimes free of charge). Visit our Programs page to learn more about these organizations.
